Sportsmobile vs. Westfalia - Page 3

regis101 · 10-28-2018, 06:27 PM

I've owned and sold five German vehicles. All three flavors of Vans
and two 3 Series from different decades. Never again. Not jaded. Just sayin'.
Femme fatale. Look it up. Peace,

bidgoodr · 10-28-2018, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfolens

Dear all,

I am sure that just reading the title will give a headache to some of SMB fan:-).

As part of my process to get a van, I am wondering what are your views re-Westfalia vs. SMB?

I am looking for 5 seaters, 4 sleepers with kitchen gear and I am realizing that the VW option is not always the most expensive. Maybe in the maintenance.

What are your thought, experience, and reason why you would always go for SMB and not Westfalia?

Thanks a bunch

Bast

I owned a 2000 Eurovan for two years, 2015 & 2016. I bought it from the original owner, it was in mint condition and only had 84,000 on it when I bought it. I paid $34,000. My family had a split window when I was in high school, and my wife and I bought a new 1974 Kombi, so I have some history with VW's. After owning the Eurovan for two years, we sold it for $37,000 so they certainly hold their value, but the are a maintenance nightmare. The Norcold fridge's suck (read GoWesty's analysis), parts are very hard to purchase due to their age, and problems like "check engine light" are impossible to diagnose because VW doesn't update software for older vehicles. The bed is only 43" wide and a lot of the Winnebago hardware was starting to break. All in all I think the Vanagons, with Westfalia outfitting, are better values. We now drive a Transit with a Penthouse. Our camping layout is identical to the Westfalia, but we're never more than one exit from a Ford dealer, not that we have needed one. VW's have the cachet, but function and reliability are far more important.

ecotyps · 10-30-2018, 03:55 PM

Camped in both. Love my SMB. I can stand up. I sleep "up top" and have huge amounts of room for storage. Got exactly what I wanted.

bidgoodr · 10-30-2018, 05:46 PM

So if anyone feel compelled to still buy a VW, I recommend these guys in Maine: https://goo.gl/maps/QeNBcZHfoSt
I've been to their shop, they replaced the canvas on my Eurovan camper. Their vehicles are spectacular.

bfolens · 11-05-2018, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bidgoodr

So if anyone feel compelled to still buy a VW, I recommend these guys in Maine: https://goo.gl/maps/QeNBcZHfoSt
I've been to their shop, they replaced the canvas on my Eurovan camper. Their vehicles are spectacular.

Not sure the link is the good one but it looks to be a nice trip in South of France

Orv · 11-05-2018, 10:20 PM

Crosswinds are definitely an issue with the "classic" VW Buses. I once had an "involuntary lane change" when a gust hit me as I was crossing the Portage Canal Bridge in Houghton. I also remember driving long stretches with the steering wheel turned 15-20 degrees into the wind.

The Vanagons are much better in crosswinds. I'm not entirely sure why. They're still big square boxes with a short wheelbase. My best guess is a combination of more weight and a more advantageous center of pressure location.

Basically a Bus will go anywhere, but a Vanagon is far less fatiguing to drive at highway speeds.

Both have four-wheel independent suspension and will ride nicer than any live-axle American van. The one thing I really miss about the Vanagon is how eagerly it turned into corners. It felt more like a top-heavy sports car than a van.

BTW if you get a Vanagon I highly recommend getting a manual shift. The automatic is a three-speed with no torque converter lockup, and while it's extremely robust, it affects fuel economy rather drastically.

bidgoodr · 11-06-2018, 05:33 AM

It was a great trip in France! Not sure how I ended up sharing that link, but here's the link to the shop in Maine. Again their work is amazing.

- Foreign Auto & Supply, Inc.

campism · 11-06-2018, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orv

Crosswinds are definitely an issue with the "classic" VW Buses. I once had an "involuntary lane change" when a gust hit me as I was crossing the Portage Canal Bridge in Houghton. I also remember driving long stretches with the steering wheel turned 15-20 degrees into the wind.

The Vanagons are much better in crosswinds. I'm not entirely sure why. They're still big square boxes with a short wheelbase. My best guess is a combination of more weight and a more advantageous center of pressure location.

Basically a Bus will go anywhere, but a Vanagon is far less fatiguing to drive at highway speeds.

Both have four-wheel independent suspension and will ride nicer than any live-axle American van. The one thing I really miss about the Vanagon is how eagerly it turned into corners. It felt more like a top-heavy sports car than a van.

BTW if you get a Vanagon I highly recommend getting a manual shift. The automatic is a three-speed with no torque converter lockup, and while it's extremely robust, it affects fuel economy rather drastically.

Vanagons have a balanced weight distribution of about 50F/50R, whereas the older buses have much more weight on the rear wheels and that gives them their legendary ability to go anywhere. Remember those driving-in-the-snow ads?

Vanagon manual transmissions can also have problems. Up until about the mid-'89 model year when upgrades were made the 3-4 slider is prone to cracking, resulting in the inability to shift up or down between a couple of gears (which ones depends on the break), and further driving can trash the cases.

Orv · 11-06-2018, 05:50 PM

That's true. And I should say my complaints about that transmission's fuel economy are based mostly on using the transverse version of it in a Cabriolet, which saw a 5+ mpg drop compared to the stick shift. The EPA ratings claim only a 1 mpg difference in a Vanagon.

It's one of those automatics that lives up to the expression "slushbox." If you want to go faster, you add more throttle, the engine RPMs go up immediately, and the rest of the car eventually catches up.

KSB · 11-20-2018, 12:42 PM

I have been eyeing the 4x4 MB Sprinter SMB ever since it was introduced. So after saving up and selling my trusty VW Syncro I finally just made the jump from VW to MB SMB. I am still learning and getting use to the new van but can confidently say that the new MB 4x4 Sprinter from Sportmobile is 10x the improvement and my Syncro had a Subaru Impreza motor in it.

See images below.

Sold the VW mainly because driving it for long trips really beat me up. Things I did not like about the VW were mainly, comfort during the drive, difficult clutch, hot as hell in the summer, noisy as well while driving. Basically I could only drive 1 or 2 states away from my home base and when I got to where I was going I just felt like crap. I really wanted to extend my range and take the adventure to the next level. Now I can easily go coast to coast.

Things I loved about the Syncro - Crazy amazing efficient use of space in the van. At only about 15 feet long the Van seemed so much bigger inside. Incredible turning radius, and super cool factor being vintage 1989. Off road capabilities were excellent also, inside I felt it had everything I needed minus AC. This was my 2nd Vanagon and so yeah that rig will alway have a special place in me heart with so many awesome memories.

So far the new rig, I could not be happier, its the land yacht I had always dreamed of, not too big as to not park in a normal parking space yet big enough to live in for extended periods of time and 4x4 to get me away from humans. I want to be able to park in town and also have fun in town while adventuring. The view in the driver seat is incredible and the ride is just a dream vs the VW.

Down side is, The Sportsmobile was $$$$, and remarkably the MPG is not as good as my Syncro, close though. Hum, downside is.. uh. it was expensive and, yah.

KB